30-07-2025
Alessandroni: Congrats Was More Than Just A 'Useful' Sire
Alessandroni: Congrats Was More Than Just A 'Useful' Sire originally appeared on Paulick Report.
I was sad to hear of the passing of Congrats. He was a reliable and honest racehorse and, in my opinion, an influential sire who was too often overlooked. On the track, Congrats won seven of his 26 starts, giving him a 26 percent win rate - higher than the industry average. In this industry, though, wins rarely tell the whole story. Throughout his career, Congrats had an ITM% ("In The Money" meaning finishing first-third) of nearly 60 percent (57.7 to be exact), which is way above the average. His earnings per start were just under $40,000 and over a lengthy career that resulted in nearly $1 million in total all this, he never got his coveted Grade 1 win (though he was second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap). What he did do, however, was show up every race, many at the highest level of the world's stage, and perform. In over half of those races, he brought home a hefty paycheck. That is an extraordinary career for a racehorse. The kind that keeps the lights on, if you a sire, though, he was often called "useful," a term that has become industry code for "good not great," as if it denotes some sort of failure. He wasn't flashy. He didn't get you a sale topper. What he did do is produce the same higher-than-average results as a sire as he did on the track.
As a sire, Congrats produced 1,552 runners of which 1,293 started and 932 found the winner's circle - 60 percent runners-to-winners. In that group were also 4 G1 winners. As a broodmare sire, his daughters are carrying on that same tradition - the most notable being globetrotting Japanese superstar Forever Young. Forever Young is a two-time G1 winner and earner of over $15 million, including a third place finish in the 2024 Kentucky Derby. He is also the damsire of Kentucky Oaks winner, Shedaresthedevil, an earner of over $2 million with multiple G1 victories to her name. Horses like Congrats are the cornerstone of not only our industry, but of the modern Thoroughbred breed. Congrats progeny are also highly sought after in the sporthorse world due to their reliability and consistency. Congrats, and in turn, his descendants deserve to be labeled as far more influential than simply "useful".In short, consistency equals results, and results, especially above-average ones, should always be given the respect they deserve. "Useful," while an accurate term, could be better replaced by consistent, reliable, productive, or, better yet, far too often, our industry focuses on the flashy "man of the hour" stallion. With both breeders and end user buyers (someone buying to race), far too often, that approach leads to a disappointing return on investment due to the high stud fee or purchase price driven by this commercial obsession with what is posh at the can be skewed, but numbers don't and racehorses like Congrats are the backbone of our industry and, as such, deserve our respect in the breeding shed and sale ring. So, if you're heading to one of the quickly approaching yearling sales this year or getting a head start on your 2026 matings, consider the successful career of Congrats and double-check your numbers - you may find horses on your short list that you never expected.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
